VIDEO: A conversation with Rob Buren, the first Canadian paraplegic to race at Kona

TMC visited triathlete Rob Buren in his home last month and learned about his two-year-long journey to qualify for and race at the Ironman World Championships as a paraplegic athlete. Buren lives in Oakville, Ont. with his wife and two daughters, all of whom played a major role in helping Buren not only finish his race but get to the start line.

“The process for qualifying as a paraplegic athlete is really difficult,” Buren explains. “There are just three races around the world — in Texas, Luxemburg and Australia — and very limited spots.”

All his hard work paid off and Buren proudly crossed the Kona finish line on October 8th this year, second in his division and the first Canadian para-athlete to accomplish such a feat. In this video (the first of a two-part series), he talks about the challenges of racing on the island and how this achievement was a special way to mark eight-year anniversary of the accident that put him in a wheelchair.

We’ll have a feature in the magazine on Buren in the next issue and part two of the videos, looking at how he trains as a paraplegic, up next month.

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